Ulman
Ulman (alternative spelling Ul'man, rus. Ульман) is a frequently wisecracking member of the rangers with a heart of gold. He helps Artyom repeatedly throughout his journey. In the novel, being a companion to Artyom through the last quarter; in the game by first saving his life in trolley combat, and then being part of the team that escorts him to D6. Overview Little is known about this ranger's background, but he is, like most rangers, a phenomenally-skilled combatant. In both the novel and game he excels at stealth operations, making extensive use of the VSV, throwing knives, and a trench knife. In the game, Ulman is a larger-than-life figure who meets every bad situation with a wry smile, some wit, and liberal use of profanity. Ulman's tendency to crack wise about any situation he's in belies his experience and veterancy. He has an adversarial relationship with Miller, who finds his wisecracks unnecessary and distracting - yet Ulman does defer to Miller as a commanding officer. A dyed-in-the-wool optimist and a man with a dark sense of humor, Ulman's good-hearted humor and stalwart bravery makes him a rather enjoyable character given the usual darkness of the Metro universe. It is Ulman who saves Artyom from the nazi's at the beginning of trolley combat. After which, he gives his seat in the armored railcar to Artyom, so Pavel can help Artyom, in his injured state, make it to Hole station past the Nazis in the tunnels. He continues on a separate mission on his own. Outside Black Station, when a nazi unexpectedly encounters Artyom and nearly alerts the entire station to his presence. A carefully-aimed throwing knife from Ulman ends his life before he can call for support or shoot. Not to be outdone by this awesome feat, Ulman then gives Artyom a standard VSV, whose silent striking capabilities are a veritable godsend in Black Station. He accompanies Artyom to Polis and later to D6, where he stays behind to guard Vladimir while he manages the missile controls. During Artyom and Miller's trip to the Tower, he repeatedly tries hailing Miller and Artyom, but interference from the tower and possibly the dark ones ensures that his calls come through as little more than static. The novel's Ulman is more sober, yet still pro-active. As a character, Ulman serves as a powerful contrast of 'worldliness' to Artyom's carelessness. It is Ulman who is with Artyom, not Miller (there, Melnik), at the top of Ostankino Tower and it is he who openly mocks the dark ones towards the end. Ulman is depicted as similar age as Artyom, yet he tells of how he was about ten when the world ended, making him about thirty. This also means he was born somewhere around or sometime during 2003. Ulman is described as having blonde hair, while, interestingly enough, in game it is clearly black. Appearances Ulman appears in the following levels: * Trolley Combat * Black Station * Polis * Driving to Sparta * Dark Star * Dungeon * Caves * D6 * Separation * Top (voice only) Trivia * In Sparta, Ulman can be found chopping wood. He states to Artyom that "I'm exercising, as you can see!". * Ulman uses a VSV most frequently, but at D6, he will use a Kalash 2012. * While in the D6 computer room, Ulman will walk up to a phone and press a button on it, and becomes startled by the sound it makes. He then presses the button once more, and then walks to one of the large machines lined along the walls, and presses a button there, and gets an electric shock in return. * Ulman, along with Khan, Bourbon, Pavel and Miller is considered one of the main companions of the video game Metro 2033. Bugs * At the beginning of the level Trolley Combat when Ulman is talking to Artyom, right before Artyom gets on the cart, there is a common glitch (even on the PC version) where Ulman's eyes go crossed, producing rather hilarious results. Category:Characters Category:The Rangers